Kagome Higurashi had many opportunities to question how people would remember her after she was gone. On her thirteenth birthday, she fell down a well only to land 500 years in the past… and doing so set off a chain of events that rocked the very balance of Life and Death.
Many times, she had almost died, and many times she prevailed – but this time, Kagome Higurashi had very little hope for survival. A sad fact, and one that currently plagued her mind, bringing forth the age old question – How will people remember me?
With a smile, she certainly hoped, and maybe even a fold recollection.
Her hand trailed gently over the hard surface of the iron plated door that kept her locked inside her prison. Then, she turned and faced the bed placed in the far corner of the room, overlooking a window tinted so darkly that the fierce afternoon sun could not shine a ray inside.
She trudged her way to the bed and plopped down heavily, her feet bounced impatiently as she shot a firm glare at the picture occupying the nearby nightstand. It wasn’t a photo that deserved such a harsh look, what with the happy family inside looking so content, but it only served to remind Kagome of what she had lost.
Her father had never been much of a family man. He was too focused on his work, on his game, to really pay much attention to his loving wife and children. He left shortly after her younger brother, Souta’s, third birthday, leaving her mother to take care of two small children.
It was difficult for Mia Higurashi, and Kagome knew that she was not much of a help. The two children her mother was faced with raising were mischievous, and Mia was already dealing with the heartbreak left in her husband’s wake.
There was relative peace for the next year, but that crumpled when her father started an argument that turned into an angry custody battle lasting two years. In the end, her mother won out, but she and Souta had spent many weeks going back and forth from mother to father – a very difficult situation for any child.
And inside that picture, which lay so innocently on the bedside table, was an image taken before it all.
A light courteous knock interrupted her reverie, and in stepped a tall man with dark hair and mundane features. He looked the same now, 16 years later, as he did in the photograph. Her father glanced around, and although he was seemingly unfazed by his surroundings, muttered, “Interesting mood.”
If he noticed the picture behind her, he made no comment. “I trust you’ve been comfortable?” he replied evenly, using the same whispery tone he had once pointed out darling hair ribbons with. It was natural for him, but she still resented the memories that swept through her uneasy mind.
Her fist clenched, and her bare feet pressed stiffly into the floorboards.
They stood like that for a moment, as his eyes ran over her face and analyzed her posture, then, he gave a quiet sigh. “This room is virtually modified by your subconscious. Every facet of this was decided by you, and for you… I cannot change what you want to experience.”
As if to prove his point, his gaze locked onto the picture behind her.
She stood, “A prison is still a prison, even if you do allow your prisoner to redecorate.” She grumbled, “Just let me out already!”
She was silent as he approached her, and she tilted her chin up slightly, “I want you to help me.”
Another twinge of anger leapt into her throat, wild and fleeting, as he blindly pushed the bangs of his forehead to the side in the same manner of his son. The son that he abandoned. Without a doubt he wasn’t even aware Souta had adopted that habit.
“Help you?” she snorted, and her eyes narrowed fiercely, “Nice joke! You’re going to let me go, or you’re going to leave. I’m sick of these games dad!”
“You are trapped here until all 100 levels are cleared.” As he spoke, he walked around her and gently picked up the picture, “As you know, your log out disappeared when you entered this world. The same will occur for everyone when the final player has stepped into SAO.”
“You created this game, I know you can fix that.” She stubbornly crossed her arms, but the expression on his face unnerved her greatly. Kagome didn’t know how to feel. She was angry, that much was certain. She wanted more than anything to push him from her room and continue her lonely existence until he realized it was useless holding her here.
Yet, another part of her – a very small part - still believed that a sliver of good existed within him, and that he wouldn’t go through with this atrocity.
“It’s too late for that. You are the 100th floor boss, and the game registers you as a piece of it.” He admitted quietly, “Which leaves you with two choices. Help me, or stay in this room until the players have beaten the game.”
The news caused a lump to gather in her throat, but it felt artificial. Likely, that was the result of being a virtual person whom was made of pixels rather than flesh. She begrudgingly acknowledged the brilliance of her father’s virtual design, never-the-less. When she was young, he often said that such things are simply done, but as a game creator herself she knew the truth. He was a genius –insane, but a genius.
And this crazy, brilliant man was telling her she would be left to rot in a room until 10,000 players reached level 100. Taking into account that 1,000 players had reached level six at two months with her prior knowledge of the lower levels… and 999 players reached level eight a month after that without it…
By those calculations, it would take over two and a half years to finish the game… and she had already spent the last month of beta testing in this room. No way could she take being cooped up in a small room for that long. “What would I have to do if I agreed to help?”
“Not a lot.” The barest smile passed fleetingly, “I need you to befriend a fellow player who goes by ‘Kirito’. That is all.”
“Why?” Dread began to bubble pitifully in her stomach –another sequence he had mastered quite well- as he smiled fleetingly.
“All in good time.”
In 2022, humanity has finally…
… Created a completely virtual environment.
There was nothing special about Kazuto Kirigaya.
He had never done above average in school, nor had he excelled at sports – very seldom was he involved in extracurricular activities.
His hair and eyes were both dark, and though he considered himself passably handsome, he had been mistaken for a girl on multiple occasions. All in all, there was nothing remarkable about his appearance.
Average, ordinary, Kazuto Kirigaya.
Yet, as mundane as he appeared, he had one talent that stood out… something that he excelled in and enjoyed so greatly that he spent most of his time doing it.
Kazuto loved video games, and for this reason, he was currently hunched over a gaming catalog, and ignoring his school transcript.
On the TV behind his occupied table, a news lady was chatting on ecstatically, “It’s time for this week’s MMO stream!” she exclaimed, “We began with a promotional video – was this the day of last week’s launch?” As she spoke, the screen shifted to show thousands of people lined up around the globe, all waiting in front of gaming centers.
“What were all these people waiting in line for? Sword Art Online! The one at the front of the line waited there for three days prior to launch! Amazing! Or is this just what any real gamer would do?” Kazuto listened with half an ear, more intent on flicking through his catalog. “On today’s MMO Stream, we’ll be covering the internationally famous Sword Art Online, Aka SAO!”
Too quickly, Kazuto flipped to the next page and a small droplet of blood gathered on the tip of his finger. He stared at it for a moment, before taking a tissue from the box beside his catalog and holding his injured finger for a moment. Then, he threw it in the bin near his feet, where it joined many others like it. ‘Not again.’ He sighed.
“To be honest, none of the Nerve Gear Software released so far has really taken advantage of the hardware… Yeah, it all sucked.” Said one man that stood in line. He smiled at the camera, as if he had commented on the weather, and had not made a slightly offensive remark about previous games.
“Brother…!” called a feminine, childish voice. A soft knocking sounded on his door, and Kazuto stretched around to stare at it silently. “I’m off to practice.”
He waited until her footsteps had disappeared down the hall, then stood. He shut off the TV and closed his magazine, then, he grabbed his Nerve Gear helmet and placed it gently over his head as he laid down his bed.
He closed his eyes and smirked, “Link start!” the Nerve Gear activated immediately, and brought him through the game’s basic settings and login screens. Then, his world became a gray space and before his eyes the words ‘Welcome to Sword Art Online!’ appeared, just as he remembered.
His body barreled forward into cyberspaces; hundreds of blue and white circles flashed before his eyes. Finally, after thirty seconds, the images cleared and he was in the middle of the town square of level one. “I’m back in this world!”
No longer was he average, ordinary Kazuto Kirigaya. Now, he was Kirito – one of the front runners in the beta test.
Kirito was smart, a born strategist, and swordplay came easily to him.
He was handsome too, though his hair and eyes were the same color as they were in the real world. His avatar looked like a 17 year old, attractive protagonist from some fantasy animation, rather than a 14 year old high school student.
He stood at the same height as Kazuto – 5’7- and wore a pale-blue, hand-sewn V-neck which was tied with a light brown cord, along with brown trousers, and hand-sewn leather shoes.
Kirito took a long stride to the left in order to avoid a young girl, and continued sprinting through the town. His eyes looked out for oncoming players as he searched out the alley he wanted to take. The equipped sword on his back showed that he had already bought his supplies, and the small smile on his lips hinted that he was ready for his first battle.
The young girl he had avoided turned around and stared at his retreating back. Her long black hair was gathered into a ponytail, and blue-indigo eyes narrowed minutely.
Kagome waited only a few seconds before jogging after him, but she wasn’t the only one who had this idea. Another man with pink hair stepped out in front of her and ran to follow, “Hey! You there!” he yelled.
By the time they caught up to the boy with black hair, they were standing in an alleyway. “Are you talking to me?” the boy asked, tilting his head a fraction to the left.
“You move like you’ve been here before; you were in the beta test weren’t you?” the man with pink hair asked, huffing and puffing with his hands on his knees.
“Y-Yeah.” His black hair shifted as he looked at his feet and then back up.
Pink hair launched himself at the boy and clasps his hands around his shoulders, “Today is my first day! Show me the basics, okay?”
“Uh…”
“I’m begging you!” he cried, “My name is Klein, nice to meet you!”
“I’m Kirito.” ‘Kirito’ smiled, and nodded his head to him.
“Um…” they turned, and the raven head blushed, “I-I’m sorry!”
“Was there something you wanted?” Kirito asked with a soft smile. The action was clearly meant to sooth her, and Kagome felt a twinge of guilt for what she was about to do.
She sent him one in return, “Uh… n-nevermind. I’m sorry to have bothered yo…” She turned around, but her wrist was caught by Klein.
“Non-sense! There must be something, you wouldn’t have come over here if there wasn’t!” he watched her with a friendly smile, and she blushed further.
“W-W-Well…”
“Go on!” encouraged Klein, and Kirito looked between them silently.
Her shoe scrapped across the cobblestones and she looked up at them both shyly, “I was going to ask the same thing Klein did, b-b-but…I’m sure you’ve got better things to be doing!” she shifted before her face melted into something akin to horror, “! I’m not stalking you or anything, I just heard your name because I was standing behind you!”
They both stared at her strangely for a moment, before Klein’s face cracked into a grin and he began to laugh boisterously, “Ha ha~! Isn’t she cute Ki~ri~to~?”
“Y-Yeah, I guess.” The younger boy muttered, turning his face away and clearing his throat. His embarrassment lasted only an instant, because in the next she began to yell at Klein for calling her ‘cute’ and he fought to smother a smile.
“Come on Kirito! You can spare a little time for this adorable girl, can’t you?” Klein asked teasingly, letting his arm hang loosely around her shoulders.
“I-I!” She squeaked, attempting to shrug him off. It failed, and Klein’s grin widened.
Kirito shook his head, casting her a true smile, “Of course, what’s your name?”
She stopped struggling and turned to him mid-complaint. In that moment, Kirito noticed that Klein had been right, in part. She was more than cute, she was…
“I’m Kagome.”
“Right in the crotch!” Klein crowed, rolling around the grass as he held said part of his body. The others watched him with varied degrees of disbelief.
“I-Is he always so eccentric?” Kagome wondered aloud, cringing as Klein released a particularly loud howl. She rubbed her ear.
Kirito shrugged from her side, “Possibly. I haven’t seen a change in behavior, have you?”
She shook her head and blushed, Kirito stared. ‘This isn’t the type of girl I usually see in MMO’s. She must be young.’ Or just really awkward, he decided. He turned away from her and back to the task at hand. “Give me a break; you don’t feel any pain. Right?”
Klein froze mid-yell and took a moment to consider, “Oh, yeah. Just habit I guess.” He laughed, scratching the back of his neck, but a faint blush tinged his cheeks.
‘All that for a habit?’
“Alright,” Kirito turned around and gently pried Kagome’s fingers from the back of his shirt. “Your turn Kagome.” Her eyes were wide and frightened; he almost felt bad for her.
She released a squeak, “M-Me?” She pointed to herself and her lips tugged into a pout.
He nodded sternly, “You did say you wanted to learn.”
Kagome glanced back and forth between the boar and Kirito uncertainly, “…” then she looked away, the natural pale color of her cheeks coated with red. “Sure.”
She took a few shaky steps forward, and Klein grinned as she summoned her sword. “You got this!” he called.
The boar’s beady red eyes seemed to glare at her and she had to remind herself that this monster was a tolerant – a monster that must be attacked-, rather than an aggressive – a monster that attacks unprovoked. A shiver rolled down her spine.
Somehow, it was issuing a challenge.
Her legs stopped shaking, and she slipped into an offensive stance as naturally as one might breathe. Her fingers trailed along the edge of her blade and her sword lit up with a level one skill. She waited until the skill had charged ten seconds, then her body shot forward.
In an instant a red slash appeared from snout to tail, and she stood behind it with her sword at her side. The boar’s health dropped dramatically and finally the beast yielded to 0%, giving an obnoxious squeal as it shattered into hundreds of red shards. After they had vanished, a card appeared before her eyes that listed the EXP that she had gained.
“That was… hot.” Klein whispered, nudging Kirito. He was shoved away.
“Kagome, you already know how to use skills?” the surprise was clear in Kirito’s tone, and the furrowed brow did nothing but enhance that.
Immediately, she blushed, “Well…”
Klein loosely wrapped his arm around Kirito’s shoulder, grinning, “I sense something interesting coming into play. Out with it!”
Kagome tucked her head, “I was a beta too.” She explained, and her sword disappeared as she mentally cursed herself. She shouldn’t have made the skill seem so easy. During the beta, she had remembered enough of her father’s personal tips to pick skills up efficiently, but it had still taken her two hours to launch her first sword skill.
“Then why did you ask for help?” the incredulous tone of Kirito’s voice did nothing to sooth her hyper driven mind, which screamed that she had just made an extreme error.
‘Think Kagome, think!’ “I-I” an idea came to her abruptly, and she blurted out, “…I thought you were cool, I remembered seeing you at one of the beta meetings!” she made sure to blush extra madly, “the one in Shinjaku, remember?” a faint trembling entered her voice, and fake tears prickled in her eyes as she met his. Inside, she cackled, for she could see his anger and confusion breaking away into panic. ‘Sucker.’ “But I was too s-shy to ask you to enter a party with me… so I-I…” she trailed off, sniffling.
Both men were eating the story up; Kirito with a look of regret – and panic, he clearly didn’t know how to handle a crying girl-, and Klein broke into laughter, “She’s just so cute Kirito!”
Kirito fumbled for words, honestly unsure of how to approach this kind of situation, “Hey don’t cry Kagome; it’s alright.”
The tears blinking in her eyes raised his discomfort, “But I lied to you!”
He released an awkward laugh, and laid his hand on her warm shoulder, “Come on, everyone tells a little fib once in a while. I don’t mind Kagome, but…” he paused and made sure to catch her eyes, which had been wondering to the ground, “you could have just told me you wanted to enter a party.”
“But she’s too shy Kirito!” Klein crowed as another boisterous laugh left his mouth, the dark-haired teen turned to send him a half-hearted glare.
“Alright Klein that’s enough; I still have to show you how to do this!”
“Dang it!” Klein’s body bounced off the ground three times before landing in a painful pile.
Kirito was far past worrying whereas Klein’s health was concerned; he sighed, “I’ve told you, what’s important is your initial motion input.” His eyes remained on the boar that had just knocked Klein flat on his arse. He picked up a rock.
Klein sulked, rubbing at his shoulder, “Sure, I get that… but he keeps moving around!”
“Did you expect it to just let you kill it?” The words left Kagome’s mouth before she had time to calculate his reaction. His head snapped up and he stared incredulously. His mouth was open in a gape. She blushed, “Sorry that came out harshly. I meant that if you were to attack something in reality, it would react to defend itself; why would it be any different in a virtual reality? You need to develop your skills so that you can defend yourself as well.”
“Exactly, that’s why learning sword skills is vital.” Said Kirito, “If you do the motion input right and activate a sword skill the system will ensure that the technique connects.” He aimed and with a flick of his wrist, threw the rock. It sailed through the air and solidly connected with the boar’s left thigh.
The lesson continued as such, Kirito demonstrating and Kagome correcting Klein’s form, and after hours they had both become emotionally invested in Klein’s first kill. Needless to say, when Klein FINALLY killed his first low-level boar, a wide smile spread across Kagome’s face.
“Congrats!” Kirito said, a small smile tracing his lips.
Kagome nodded at him, and the pride that filled Klein was enormous. These two had been so patient with him… and finally, finally…
He had made his first kill!
“Yata!” He slammed his fist into the air, laughing.672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0O19DJs8v
“No matter how many times I see it, I still can’t believe it…” Klein laid on soft grass, his skin wet with perspiration, and the slight breeze cooling it. The area around them was lit up with a kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, and yellows. “This game is so much like reality. Whoever made it is a genius. It’s really amazing. Seriously, I’m glad I was born in this time.”
If only you knew what he sacrificed to create this world, what would you think of him then? Her father had sacrificed his life, his friends and family… her. She turned her face away from the brilliant sunset, scoffing as she muttered, “You make a big deal out of everything.”
Klein smiled again, bigger now, and let out a mocking gasp, “Gimme a break! It’s my first full dive!” he jeered, “I bet you were all over this your first time.”
Bad use of words, Kirito blushed unnoticeably, then shoved that thought away, “Then this is your first time playing a game with NerveGear?” he asked.
Klein nodded furiously, “I rushed out and bought the hardware to play SAO. I was really lucky to get one of the ten thousand copies. Well, I guess you were both ten times as lucky, getting into the beta test. Only a thousand people got to do it.”
“I guess.” The two raven heads muttered simultaneously.
“How far did you get in the beta?”
Kirito’s response sounded rehearsed, “Over a couple of months, only to level eight. This time, it’ll only take a month to reach that.” After all they weren’t going in blind anymore. Now they had the locations of quests and bosses.
Kagome nodded from beside him, “I wasn’t around much the last month, but my first two were brilliant.” She smiled, “Everything felt so real, you know? Sometimes I forgot that this was all a game, and I had to remind myself that the real world is outside all this.”
“Oi you just scolded me for the same thing!” Klein crowed petulantly, then he softened, “You’re both really into this huh?”
"To be honest, during the beta test, SAO was all I thought about, day and night.” Kirito confessed, “In this world, a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go. It's a virtual world, but I still feel more alive here than I do in the real one." He laughed slightly, "Now then, want to hunt some more?"
Both Klein and Kagome nodded, then the former sighed regretfully. “I’d love to, but I’m really hungry, so I’m logging out!” his stomach growled loudly.
“Eating food here only makes you think you aren’t hungry.” Kirito approved with a nod in his direction.
Klein laughed, “I already ordered a hot pizza for 5:30!”
His laughter was contagious, and a small wormed onto Kirito’s face, “You’re so prepared.”
“Oh yeah!” Klein stood, stretching, “Well, once I’ve eaten I’ll be back.”
“I see.”
“Hey!” he gripped the arms of this two newest friends, “After this, I’m meeting up with some people I know from another game. You guys want to friend them too?”
Kagome froze and glanced at the ground. Kirito’s smile slipped into a frown.
“Of course if you don’t want to that’s okay. I’ll introduce you another time.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Muttered Kirito, “Thanks.”
Kagome’s eyes didn’t leave the ground, “Uh, yeah thanks. Sorry Klein… I just have a hard time around new people is all…” Aka I’m afraid someone will see through me.
Klein rolled his eyes, “Pffft thanks? That’s my line! I’ll pay you back for your help.” He winked, “Mentally.”
They nodded and Kagome pushed herself from the ground. Kirito followed suit.
“Thanks so much!” he held out his hand and she locked her fingers around his forearm. His grin widened. “See you around.”
Kirito took the arm after her, “If there’s anything else you want to know, just tell me.” He meant it too. He’d enjoyed the day of training and goofing off with the exuberant pinky and quiet raven.
“Yeah I’ll do that!” Klein waved, that huge grin still on his face, before turning around and rummaging through his menu.
“So you still in for training?” Kirito asked, waving back at Klein but turning toward Kagome.
She nodded.
“Boars?”
“We could go after the honeycomb off route 12?” she offered instead, and could tell that spiked his interest, “It offers twice the experience as well as two thousand in game coins per players, AND there are low level wolves all over the path into the forest.” She was sure the level two aggressives wouldn’t be much of a challenge with their sword skills – though she was still twenty experience from reaching that level herself.
Kirito thought about it, “True but the wolves tend to attack on sight and the forest is crawling with them.” He hummed and thought it through. He had a few too many unhappy experiences with being attacked by five or six wolves at a time, and being at a lower level disturbed him, “I’m near leveling so the smart option would be to reach two on boars and collect supplies back in the Town of Beginnings. How are you on health potions?”
Kagome quickly scrolled through her inventory and winced, “Not so good – so you want to level, teleport back for potions and maybe an extra sword, then head off to complete the Breadwinner Quest?”
He nodded and smiled slightly. He was enjoying this party more than he thought he would.
“Uhhh guys?” Klein called, startling both. He had turned toward them with a weird expression, “There’s no button to log out.”
“Look closer.” Kagome replied.
“No, it’s not there.”
“At the bottom of the main menu…” Kirito murmured, opening his own. His eyes bulged and his breath came out in a hiss.
“See it isn’t there.” Klein affirmed.
Kagome frowned and opened her menu. She was met with the familiar sight of a missing log out button. Her heart sank. Why had she thought father would change his mind? And when – because surely she could go back in time and smack her naïve self in the face for getting her hopes up.
“Well it is the first day out of beta!” Klein said cheerfully, “There are bound to be some bugs. I’m sure the server people are freaking out.” He sniggered.
Kirito hid a smile behind his hand as he checked the time in the corner of his vision, “In a second you will be too. It’s 5:25.”
Klein’s answering gasp was too overdramatic to be genuine. He clutched his head, “My teriyaki mayo pizza and ginger ale!”
“Dude what are you eating?” Kagome muttered, her face scrunched. The image of a very pretty redhead with huge boobs popped unexpectedly into her head. After this was all over, she would sit down for a Bleach marathon.
Kirito sent her an amused smile, but rolled his eyes at Klein, “Just hurry and call the game master.”
“I tried, but nothing is happening.” Whined Klein, “is there any other way to log out?”
“No. If a player wants to log themselves out, they have to go through the main menu.” Kagome frowned. Her hands had twitched into tight fists.
“That’s nuts!” Klein exclaimed, “There’s got to be some way. RETURN! LOG OUT! ESSSCAPE!”
The sky slowly turned eerily dark and Kagome instinctively huddled closer to the person nearest to her. The arm that settled onto her shoulder was placed there just as impulsively. Kirito squeezed reassuringly, “She’s telling the truth… there wasn’t an emergency logout in the manual either.”
“You’re kidding right? This game is the new biggest thing, it’d be stupid to just have one way to log out!” Klein’s eyes were wide, “I know! I’ll just rip the NerveGear off my head…” he reached up and pulled at the ends of his hair.
Kirito rolled his eyes, “You can’t; we can’t move our real bodies. The NerveGear intercepts anything we tell our bodies to do here.”
“Seriously?” Klein chewed his lip, “…So we have to wait for them to fix the bug?”
“Or for someone in the real world to remove the NerveGear from us. Got any family waiting for that pizza Klein?” she asked smiling half-heartedly.
Klein swallowed noticeably, “I live alone. What about you two?”
“I have a mom and sister. They should notice by dinnertime…” Kirito hesitantly offered. In truth he was sure they would, but when he didn’t answer they might assume he was in a funk and leave dinner outside his bedroom door.
Kagome turned away from them to look at the interesting layers of dirt at her feet. Huh, would you look at the shading on the grass… definitely seems real…
“Eh, hey Kagome what about you?”
She cringed just thinking about where her body was resting. “I’m… alone.”
Kirito frowned remembering his earlier sentiment about her age. He grew more and more uncomfortable as her lonely words echoed in his head.
Klein, oblivious to the sudden moodiness, grabbed Kirito by the shoulders causing his arm to leave its place on Kagome’s shoulder. “H-How old is your little sister?”
“…She’s on a sports team and she hates games. She has nothing to do with people like us.”
Kagome was forced to move away from Kirito from fear of being squashed, “That doesn’t matter-“
Seconds later, after Kirito had kicked him in the head he was thinking with, it surely mattered. “AHHHH – Oh right it doesn’t hurt.”
Kirito scoffed, “More importantly don’t you find this weird?”
“Sure I do.” Klein shrugged, “It’s a bug.”
“This isn’t just a bug.” Oh if only you knew Kirito. His words were like a wakeup call to the entertaining dream she’d been having.
Suddenly she wasn’t just here to hang out with two guys she was growing increasingly fond of. Now she had to remember that her dad asked her – of all the favors- to befriend Kirito. Was this betrayal of a new friendship?
She blinked back into reality as Kirito finished what looked to be a lengthy lecture. Klein’s now worried expression said it all, “…wasn’t even an announcement.”
“Something just isn’t right about this.” Klein muttered, fiercely shaking his head.
BOOM
BOOM672Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo72UGWvse2
BOOM
BOOM
The church bell – a prominent attraction of the Town of Beginnings- went off, causing chilling sounds to resonate through the entirety of level 1.
If Kagome wasn’t aware of what was happening, she would have been officially clued in that something was horribly wrong. This game was supposed to be fun, but it was reminding her more and more of Jurassic Park.
A bright light obscured her vision, and in a flash that sounded like thunder, she was in the town square. Around her people loudly spoke; girls clinging to their boyfriends, newfound guild mates grabbing each other’s shoulders and shouting in their faces… it was like a chaotic nightmare.
Though the eyes of Kirito however, it wasn’t so bad. Just confusing. “A forced teleport?” he questioned, looking around wildly. He quickly picked up on Kagome’s –very obvious- distress and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it. “Hey everything is fine Kagome…”
“What happened? Where are we?” Klein shouted over the crowd. He stood just in front of them, eyes wide and buggy.
The bell finally stopped tolling as the last of ten thousand players arrived into the square.
The square hushed, as though they were suddenly afraid to make a noise.
“Up there.” Kagome shivered. A button shaped in red had appeared far over their heads and the words Warning! System Announcement! appeared in black moments later.
Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement! Warning! System Announcement!
Again and again the words repeated, like something out of a chiller flick. They surrounded them in a dome shape around the square and a map of the world could be made out in lighter pink behind the red buttons.
Next, blood soaked through the edges of said warning signs and created a glob that went on to shape a cloaked figure.
Klein gaped, “W-What is that?”
“A game master?” Kirito muttered, Talk about a dramatic entrance.
“Attention players. Welcome to my world.”
“My world?” he muttered, sparing a glance at Klein and Kagome from the corner of his eye. Both were gaping at the figure.
"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world."
He let them absorb this before continuing. "I'm sure by now you're all aware, that the logout button is missing from the main menu. But it is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online."
“A-A feature?” Klein muttered. What kind of feature was that? A million questions were running through his mind, but none seemed to fulfill him with an answer. The game master didn’t make him wait long.
"You cannot log out of SAO yourselves. And no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."
Shouts started up in the crowd. Something about bullshit and ‘leaving’. At least a hundred people tried to duck out of the square and into streets or alleyways… but things didn’t go as planned for them. An invisible barrier blocked their paths.
“What’s he talking about? He’s got to be nuts! Right Kirito? Kagome?”
Kirito responded slowly, having been lost in his thoughts, “He’s right that the transmitter’s signals work just like microwaves. If the safety were disabled it could fry a brain.”
“Then we cut the power…”
“No, the NerveGear has an internal battery.” Kirito finished.
Kagome bit her lip and nodded jerkily, “He’s right, this is terrible.”
"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever. From both Aincrad and the real world."
“Two hundred and thirteen?” stuttered Kirito.
“I don’t believe it…” Klein muttered.
Meanwhile Kagome clutched onto Kirito’s hand tighter in an attempt to steady herself. She couldn’t bear to take her eyes off of her father’s cloaked form, “Two hundred and thirteen… that’s several?” She felt sick. Her father was always more entertained with the virtual world than the real one but still… didn’t he see how wrong this was? Didn’t he feel remorse over those lost lives?
Was he truly a monster?
"As you can see, news organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you can relax and attempt to clear the game. But I want you to remember this clearly! There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game! If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost. And simultaneously, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."
If Kirito was worried before, how he was panicked. Visions of his deaths flashed before his eyes. So many deaths…
"There is only one means of escape. To complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad. Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."
“Clear all one hundred floors? That’s impossible! The beta testers never made it anywhere near that high!” Klein shouted. He was waiting for the hooded figure to freeze and suddenly cackle out, “Got ya!”
It didn’t.
"Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves."
Kagome hesitantly summoned her inventory and scrolled through the items. Bronze sword, small elixir, ruby stone… “Mirror?” she pressed her finger down on the item and a small silver mirror dropped into her hand. She ignored the awed noises from other curious players who had done the same.
Light enveloped her, and Kagome suddenly worried she had made a grave error. Would father have put a trap in their inventories to weed out the foolish?
The light faded and she remained alive. That’s a plus. The mirror was gone and she looked around. Nothing seemed off about the light until she noticed it surround a young girl with silvery hair… when the light faded she was a balding man in a pink skirt and revealing top.
She blinked and looked down at her hand. It was smaller than before, and she saw a little silvery line on the knuckle of her right pointer.
… Where she had dropped a knife when she was six. It was a scar this body shouldn’t have.
A squeeze on her hand brought her back to attention and she realized she’d fallen to her knees.
“Kagome, are you alright?” Kirito asked gently and she looked up at him through blurry eyes and long black hair. Crying already? She felt like such a baby.
He seemed shocked and alarmed so she hurried for an excuse, “This is all so confusing! I don’t understand…” why dad would do this. Why did he do this?
Two jaws dropped and she wiped at her eyes, oblivious.
Klein glanced frantically between the two raven heads – that much stayed the same. Kirito was a lot more childish looking than before, and more girly though he would never say anything. To be honest the look suited his personality, and he liked him better that way.
Kagome was also more like a child, but as she stood he noticed that her build was more sporty and lean than it had been previously… like she had been running track or participating in multiple sports. Her hair was longer as well, and silkier.
He faltered and looked at himself in the mirror; unruly pink hair, faint stubble… definitely him. Real him – UGH that confused him! “How?!” he finally stuttered out.
Kirito looked up from where he had been watching Kagome frantically brushing the hair out of her eyes. “That scan… the NerveGear covers your entire head with a high-density signaling device. So it can see what you face looks like… but our height and body shape…”
Klein frowned, “When we first used the NerveGear it had us calibrate it right? You had to touch your body all over.” He patted his arms remembering the sensors that had been hooked up to his palms the previous time he did it.
“O-oh right… that must be where it got the data.”
“But… but… why?! Why do all this anyway?”
Kirito pointed to the game master, “I’m sure he’ll tell us.”
Turning, he looked at the terrified faces of Klein and Kagome. Klein stared back, but Kagome had yet to take her eyes of Akihiko. Finally his eyes wandered to her hand, so small that it was completely enveloped in his own.
It slipped away and she hugged her arms around herself.
"Right now, you're probably wondering. "Why?" Why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason... to create this world and intervene in it."
“Kayaba…!” hissed Kirito, all the while wishing that looks could kill. If they could he have died 9,887 times.
"And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. Good luck, players."
With that he disappeared, the red dome with him.
Kirito's hand shook as he closed his fist tightly. 'This is real. The genius who created NerveGear and created a completely virtual space, Kayaba Akihiko. I admired him, so I can tell... Everything he just said is true. If I die in the game, I will die in real life!’
“Come on Klein!” Kirito grabbed the back of the other man’s shirt and pulled him along.
Kagome watched them disappear into the crowd, feeling decidedly numb. She tried to follow, honestly she did, but with the panicked bodies pushing at her smaller frame from all sides she didn’t see which alley they disappeared down.
She panted as an especially large and confused male bumped into her and her head smacked the ground. Feet pushed into her back and stepped on her legs.
She grit her teeth and started to pull herself up – only to be wrenched to her feet roughly by the back of her shirt. She caught a flash of blue before a large hand grabbed hers and pulled her through the crowd. They weaved, ducking and barreling through alleys.
Minutes passed and they were at the edge of town nearing the one crappiest inn in the Town of Beginnings.
The man that grabbed her was taller than her with medium length and shaded blue hair. His body was thin, but strong.
After they had entered the inn, he turned back to her and settled blue eyes on hers. The serious look on his face, which was framed by longer bangs, confused her. “Kagome?”
What on earth… “Yes?”
He laughed suddenly, and pulled her into a hug. So shocked, she allowed him to swing her body around like a rag doll. “I knew it was you!”
She frantically racked her brain for any blue-haired men she’d met in the real world – no he definitely wasn’t ringing a bell.
When he finally set her on the ground and stepped back, she was sure the look on her face was awkward at best.
“I yelled for you earlier when you were with those two guys but you didn’t answer. Must not have heard me,” he added laughing weakly, “Oi where’ve you been? Why didn’t you send me a friend request?”
Blue hair, blue hair, blue hair… An image flashed into her brain of a handsome sixteen year old with blue hair that flowed to his back. He wore bronze armor over blue cotton clothing… just as this boy – who appeared sixteen- did. She let out a shocked gasp, “Diavel?”
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